Sangma asks Pawar to severe ties with Congress (Lead)

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Upset over the decision to impose president’s rule in Meghalaya, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader P.A. Sangma Thursday asked party chief Sharad Pawar to severe ties with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls. “The president has signed proclamation imposing president’s rule in Meghalaya,” Sangma told reporters here.

Citing a “constitutional breakdown”, the central government Wednesday decided to impose president’s rule in Meghalaya, a day after the state government barely survived a trust vote with the help of the assembly speaker.

He said Pawar, who is also a union cabinet minister, was isolated in the cabinet for opposing the move to impose president’s rule in the state.

“He did oppose the move in the cabinet (to impose president’s rule). But he was isolated,” Sangma said.

“If the Congress wants to destroy us… in my view.. NCP should not have any truck with the Congress and the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) in the coming elections,” Sangama said

He also cited the denial of Lok Sabha seat to senior party leader Tariq Anwar by the UPA allies in Bihar.

“We should not have alliance with such parties,” he said.

Sangma said he would meet the leaders of all non-Congress parties and particularly those of the nascent Third Front before launching an agitation in the northeast against the imposition of president’s rule in Meghalaya.

“Yes, I am going to meet all non-Congress political parties, particularly the leaders of the Third Front,” he said.